Apparatus for heating and holding the temperature of long stock



9 1968 a. STENGEL ETAL 3,419,701

APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND HOLDING THE TEMPERATURE OF LONG STOCK Filed Oct. 27, 1966 She et of 2 Dec. 31, 1968 APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND HOLDING THE TEMPERATURE OF LONG STOCK Filed Oct. 27, 1966 Sheet of 2 T 1'EiE1-Ef Invmors United States Patent 3,419,701 APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND HOLDING THE TEMPERATURE OF LONG STOCK Edgar Stengel, Wuppertal-Hahnerberg, and .Iiirgen Miiller, Remscheid, Germany, assignors to AEG- Elotherm G.m.b.H., Remscheid-Hasten, Germany Filed Oct. 27, 1966, Ser. No. 589,889 Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 29, 1965, A 51,198 1 Claim. (Cl. 219156) It is frequently desired to heat long stock such as rod, bar or tube, and to hold the same at a particular temperature, for example at hot-Working temperature, until an automatic hot working machine is ready to receive it.

Plant for such operations must satisfy a number of requirements resulting from the fact that long stock is not always of the same length, and that dilferences in length are not simply minor variations which naturally arise in production, but may be considerable due to stock of dilferent dimensions being required, so that even the cross sections and shapes may differ considerably.

It is known to heat long stock in plant by resistance to the direct passage of an electric current therethrough. Such plant is however usually not well adapted to processing stock of varying lengths, unless adapted with considerable expense. In principle such plan comprises two contact trucks which can be moved relative to each other lengthwise of the stock that is to be heated in such manner that the Spacing between points of contact can be adapted according to the length of the stock.

The invention consists of apparatus for heating and holding the temperature of long stock prior to delivering same to a hot working station, which comprises A receiving station for the stock, a measuring and aligning station for the stock, a heating station including tracks and electrical resistance heating contact trucks mounted on the tracks, all serially spaced along a path;

A conveyor disposed adjacent to the heating station and adapted to receive the stock from the heating station;

A holding furnace in operative connection with the conveyor to receive stock on the conveyor;

First means for moving stock from the receiving station to the measuring and aligning station and thence to the heating station including two parallel sets of axially aligned rocker and extension linkages, the rocker and extension linkages of one set being linked to the transversely aligned rocker and extension linkages of the other set to maintain parallel alignment and operation, two parallel sets of axially aligned bearings, each rocker linkage being associated with a bearing, and means for commonly driving both sets of rocker and extension linkages, the driving means including a drive shaft, a set of cranks, and a set of clutches, each crank being operatively connected at one end to the drive shaft through a clutch and at the other end to a pair of transversely aligned rocker and extension linkages "for driving the same, selected rocker and extension linkages adapted to be inactivated by disengagement of the corresponding clutches for inactivating rocker and extension linkages not required by the length of the stock, the rocker and extension linkages of one set adapted to move stock from the receiving station to the measuring and aligning station, and the rocker and extension linkages of the other set adapted to move stock from the measuring and aligning station to the heating station;

Second means for moving stock from the heating station to the conveyor including a set of axially aligned rocker and extension linkages, a set of axially aligned bearings for the rocker linkages, and means for driving the set of axially aligned rocker and extension linkages,

Patented Dec. 31, 1968 the driving means including a drive shaft, a set of cranks, and a set of clutches, each crank being operatively connected at one end to the drive shaft through a clutch and at the other end to a rocker and extension linkage, selected rocker and extension linkages adapted to be inactivated by disengagement of the corresponding clutch for inactivating rocker and extension linkages not required by the length of the stock; and

The bearings of the first and second moving means being positioned outside the track of the contact trucks.

With the arrangement of the invention the long stock can be raised to the desired temperature in synchronism with the working cycle of the hot working machine without difiiculty and delivered for further treatment at the correct temperature. The proposed plant can accept and handle workpieces of any length.

An embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, of which FIGURES 1 and 2 are cross sectional and plan views of the plant.

With reference to FIGURE 1, the plant comprises a receiving station 1 to which the stock is conveyed by chains, by a roller bed or other conveying means. The stock 2 is lifted off the receiving station 1 by a parallel crank and rocker linkage and traversed cross-wise to a measuring and aligning station 3. The linkage comprises a crank 5 fulcrumed at 6 for moving an extension link 7, the shape of the curve 44' being generated by the triangular rocker 8 which pivots on a fulcrum at 9. The path of transportation generated by the parallel crank and rocker linkage is indicated by the dot-dash line at 4, the return path prior to lifting the next workpiece off the receiving station being indicated by the dot-dash line 4'.

Coupled in parallel to the aforesaid elements 5, 7, 8 are two elements 7' and 8' which are of identical construction and work on a fulcrum at 9. Parallelism is assured by the two parallel links 10. The two elements 7, 8' convey the stock 2 from the measuring and aligning station 3 and deposit it on the contact trucks 11 Where it is received and heated between the contacts of'the trucks which have been moved to the required spacing.

In the measuring and aligning station 3 the length of the stock is measured, and the spacing of the contact trucks is adjusted accordingly. At the same time the stock is axially aligned so that its position agrees with the positions of the correctly spaced trucks 11.

As soon as one of the workpieces has been received at 12 by the resistance heating equipment, the parallel crank and rocker linkage returns along the dot-dash curve 4' into starting position in which a fresh workpiece can be picked up at 1 and at the same time the workpiece at 3 picked up for traverse into the resistance heating equipment, as soon as the preceding workpiece in the heating equipment has been appropriately heated and removed.

For removing the stock from position 12 a simple crank and rocker linkage is provided, consisting of a crank 13 revolving about an axis 14, a link 15 and a rocker 17 which is fulcrumed at 18 and which generates the dot-dash curve 16, 16'. This linkage conveys the stock along curve 16 and deposits it on an axial conveyor means 19, preferably in the form of a roller bed. The linkage returns along a path marked by curve 16' to pick up a fresh heated workpiece 2 from the heating station. The conveyor means 19 conveys the stock axially into a holding furnace 24.

It will be understood from the drawing that the provision of the parallel crank and rocker linkage and of the simple crank and rocker linkage permits the necessary bearings 6/ 9/ 9 and 14/ 18 to be located outside the track 20 of the contact trucks 11. More particularly FIGURE 2 shows that the contact trucks can be advanced into the positions 11 and 11 (indicated in dashed outlines), without interfering with .the traversing gear. Moreover, in FIGURE 2, five traversing sets of linkages are provided side by side. The cranks and 13 are each driven by a shaft 6' and 14' respectively common to all five cranks. The driving motors are indicated at 20 and 21. The drive shafts incorporate clutches 22, 22 and 23, 23'. Assuming that the contacts 11 have been moved into the positions 11 for heating stock 2 of correspondingly shorter length, then the two parallel crank and rocker linkages and the two simple crank and rocker linkages at each end of the plant are inactivated by disengaging the clutches 22, 22' and 23, 23. The lifting grippers of the linkages are adjusted by reference to the points 1 and 3, and to point 19.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for heating and holding the temperature of long stock prior to delivering the same to a hotworking station comprising:

a receiving station for the stock, a measuring and aligning station for the stock, a heating station including tracks and electrical resistance heating contact trucks mounted on the tracks, all serially spaced along a path;

a conveyor disposed adjacent to the heating station and adapted to receive the stock from the heating station;

a holding furnace in operative connection with the conveyor to receive stock on the conveyor;

first means for moving stock from the receiving station to the measuring and aligning station and thence to the heating station including two parallel sets of axially aligned rocker and extension linkages, the rocker and extension linkages of one set being linked to the transversely aligned rocker and extension linkages of the other set to maintain parallel alignment one end to the drive shaftthrough a clutch and at the other end to a pair of transversely aligned rocker and extension linkages for driving the same, selected rocker and extension linkages adapted to be inactivated by disengagement of the corresponding clutches for inactivating rocker and extension linkages not required by the length of the stock, the rocker and extension linkages of one set adapted to move stock from the receiving station to the measuring and aligning station, and the rocker and extension linkages of the other set adapted to move stock from the measuring and aligning station to the heating station;

second means for moving stock from the heating station to the conveyor including a set of axially aligned rocker and extension linkages, a set of axially aligned hearings for the rocker linkages, and means for driving the set of axially aligned rocker and extension linkages, the driving means including a drive shaft, a set of cranks, and a set of clutches, each crank being operatively connected at one end to the drive shaft through a clutch and at the other end to a rocker and extension linkage, selected rocker and extension linkages adapted to be inactivated by disengagement of the corresponding clutch for inactivating rocker and extension linkages not required by the length of the stock; and

the bearings of the first and second moving means be ing positioned outside the track of the contact trucks.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,096,167 12/1960 Germany.

RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner.

BARRY A. STEIN, Assistant- Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 219 

1. APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND HOLDING THE TEMPERATURE OF LONG STOCK PRIOR TO DELIVERING THE SAME TO A HOTWORKING STATION COMPRISING: A RECEIVING STATION FOR THE STOCK, A MEASURING AND ALIGNING STATION FOR THE STOCK, A HEATING STATION INCLUDING TRACKS AND ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE HEATING CONTACT TRUCKS MOUNTED ON THE TRACKS, ALL SERIALLY SPACED ALONG A PATH; A CONVEYOR DISPOSED ADJACENT TO THE HEATING STATION AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE STOCK FROM THE HEATING STATION; A HOLDING FURNACE IN OPERATIVE CONNECTION WITH THE CONVEYOR TO RECEIVE STOCK ON THE CONVEYOR; FIRST MEANS FOR MOVING STOCK FORM THE RECEIVING STATION TO THE MEASURING AND ALIGNING STATION AND THENCE TO THE HEATING STATION INCLUDING TWO PARALLEL SETS OF AXIALLY ALIGNED ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES, THE ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES OF ONE SET BEING LINKED TO THE TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES TO THE OTHER SET TO MAINTAIN PARALLEL ALIGNMENT AND OPERATION, TWO PARALLEL SETS OF AXIALLY ALIGNED BEARINGS, EACH ROCKER LINKAGE BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A BEARING, AND MEANS FOR COMMONLY DRIVING BOTH SETS OF ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES, THE DRIVING MEANS INCLUDING A DRIVE SHAFT, A SET OF CRANKS, AND A SET OF CLUTCHES, EACH CRANK BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED AT ONE END OF THE DRIVE SHAFT THROUGH A CLUTCH AND AT THE OTHER END TO A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES FOR DRIVING THE SAME, SELECTED ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES ADAPTED TO BE INACTIVATED BY DISENGAGEMENT OF THE CORRESPONDING CLUTCHES FOR INACTIVATING ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES NOT REQUIRED BY THE LENGTH OF THE STOCK, THE ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES OF ONE SET ADAPTED TO MOVE STOCK FROM THE RECEIVING STATION TO THE MEASURING AND ALIGNING STATION, AND THE ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES OF THE OTHER SET ADAPTED TO MOVE STOCK FROM THE MEASURING AND ALIGNING TO THE HEATING STATION; SECOND MEANS FOR MOVING STOCK FROM THE HEATING STATION TO THE CONVEYOR INCLUDING A SET OF AXIALLY ALIGNED ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES, A SET OF AXIALLY ALIGNED BEARINGS FOR THE ROCKER LINKAGES, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING THE SET OF AXIALLY ALIGNED ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES, THE DRIVING MEANS INCLUDING A DRIVE SHAFT, A SET OF CRANKS, AND A SET OF CLUTCHES, EACH CRANK BEING OPERTIVELY CONECTED AT ONE END OF THE DRIVE SHAFT THROUGH A CLUTCH AND AT THE OTHER END TO A ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGE, SELECTED ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES ADAPTED TO BE INACTIVATED BY DISENGAGEMENT OF THE CORRESPONDING CLUTCH FOR INACTIVATING ROCKER AND EXTENSION LINKAGES NOT REQUIRED BY THE LENGTH OF THE STOCK; AND THE BEARINGS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND MOVING MEANS BEING POSITIONED OUTSIDE THE TRACK OF THE CONTACT TRUCKS. 